Stimulation Addiction

By: Ron Lagerquist

In Disney World, there are massive machines designed to take your body and propel it at phenomenal speeds, spins, jiggles, jostles and gyrations, from breath-taking heights to plunging depths, while bombarding you with explosive sights and sounds. When the ride is over, you untangle from the chair feeling as if you are going to lose your lunch. With wobbling legs, you exclaim, what a blast! A peaceful walk in the forest?—forget it. Stimulate me! Turn me on! Blow me away!

Stimulation results in the worst kind of addiction. It comes in many forms and flavors and like so many other things, it takes more than it gives, demanding no commitment, no sacrifice, no love, no suffering, and no obedience.

Any form of stimulation, whether drugs, alcohol or a roller coaster ride, falsely heightens sensory awareness through an increase of adrenaline in the bloodstream. Heart rate increases, the body tingles, palms sweat, emotions soar and imagination runs wild. This state is always temporary and results in a stimulation deficit producing a feeling of restless emptiness.